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HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY 343

emigrated to the far west.

Truly, our attention has been given to a family
group whose history is suggestive and instructive.
Samuel Waugh and Ann McGuire, his wife, imbued
with the faith and energy so peculiar to the genuine
Scotch-Irish, endured all that is implied in rearing a
family of fourteen sons and daughters, and all living
to be adults. The sons all lived to be grown, and not
one was ever known to use tobacco or ardent spirits in
any form. This seems scarcely credible, yet it is as¬
serted to be a pleasing truth. Samuel Waugh was one
of the original members of the old Mount Zion Church
—one of the strongholds of its denomination for so
many years. His history shows that in the face of
pioneer hindrances and privations sons and daughters
may be reared that may faithfully serve God and sup¬
port their country in their day and generation.

JOSIAH BEARD.

So far as we have authentic information, the Beard
relationship trace their ancestry to John Beard, the
pioneer of Renicks Valley, Greenbrier County. He
was of Scotch-Irish antecedents, his parents having
migrated from the north of Ireland. While a young
man he had his parental home in Augusta County, in
the bounds of John Craig’s congregation, and no
doubt helped to build the old Stone Church and’ the
forts spoken of elsewhere, and may have heard the
very sermons Craig preached, opposing the people who
were thinking of going back to Pennsylvania over

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344

HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY

the Blue Ridge towards Williamsburg.

His vallev home was in the vicinity of New Hope,
and after attaining his majority lie came to Greenbrier
County, and commenced keeping bachelor’s hall at the
head of Renicks Valley, on lands now occupied by
Abram Beard, a grandson. This was about 1770, and
though unmarried, John Beard secured land, built a
cabin, and cleared ground for cropping.

While living in this isolated manner, some Indians
came along and liberally helped themselves to what¬
ever they could find in the way of something to eat;
and when they went on their way took the pioneer’s
gun, dog, and only horse.

It so occurred that Mr Beard was absent that day.
It is thought he had gone over to Sinking Creek on a
social visit to the Wallace family, old neighbors in
Augusta, and whose coming to Greenbrier possibly
had its influence with the young bachelor.

When young Beard returned and saw what liberties
his visitors had taken in his absence, he looked up the
trail and started in pursuit. Upon following the sign
for some miles in the direction of Spring Creek, he
heard the horse’s bell. Guided by the sound he came
upon two Indians in camp. They seemed to be very
sick, and Mr Beard supposed it was from over eating
raw bacon and johnny cake they had taken from his
own larder. One appeared to be convulsed with par¬
oxysms of nausea; the other was lying before the fire
vigorously rubbing his belly with a piece of bacon, on
homeopathic principles that like cures like.

Setjjng his own gun near a tree and his own dog ly-

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riSTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY 345

i ig by it, he crawled near to get the gun, but the dog
fiercely growled, and he was forced to withdraw quietly
as he came, and leave the two sick Indians unmolest¬
ed. He thereupon went to his horse, silenced the bell
and succeeded in getting the animal away.

About this time, or soon after, Mr Beard seemed to
realize there was nothing in single blessedness for him
and he and Miss Janet Wallace were married by taking a
trip to Staunton and making their wishes known to the
rector of the imperial parish that extended from the
the Blue Ridge to the Pacific ocean. In their pioneer
home in Renicks Valley they reared a numerous fami¬
ly of sons and daughters, one of the sons being Josiali
Beard, lately of Locust Creek. This paper will be
mainly for the illustration of his personal and family
history, as his name appears so prominently in otir
county history. Mr Beard was the first Clerk of the
County after its organization and served in that capac¬
ity during the formative period of the county’s history.

His wife, Rachel Cameron Poage, was the eldest
daughter of Major William Poage, of Marlins Bottom.
The names of their children are given in the paper re¬
lating to Jacob Warwick and his descendants.

He was an expert hunter, and found recreation in
hunting deer upon the hills and ridges that make Hun¬
tersville scenery so picturesque. He killed scores of
fine deer during his residence at the court house, and
rarely went beyond the immediate vicinity in quest of
game, unless it would be occasional visits to Marlins
Bottom for a chase. It proved however that there
were attractions to draw him there of a more pleasant

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• 54 <> HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COITNTY

and romantic nature.

He seemed to have liis own ideas as to how he could
best promote the interests of the county, and would
sometimes carry them out. While residing at Locust
('reek he set out one morning to attend court. On the
way near his home he discovered fresh wolf signs. He
hastened back, got his gun and called up the dogs, and
sent Aaron, a colored servant, who was also a skilful
hunter and a dead shot, to beat the laurel brake and
drive out the wolves. Quite a number were killed aud
the pack retreated from the neighborhood so far back
into the mountains as to give no further trouble.

In the me.uiti ne, court met and adjourned owing to
the absence of the clerk. That official however was
present next morning and explained the reasons of his
absence, believing it would do the people more good
to have the wolves killed and scattered than to hold
court that day. Court could meet most any time, but
it was not every day that such a good chance to kill
wolves could be had.

He was a stanch friend of education, and was one of
the first trustees of the Pocahontas Academy at Hills¬
boro, and one of its most faithful patrons and wise
counselors. In business affairs he was successful, and
in a quiet, judicious, industrious manner acquired a
very extensive landed estate; the larger proportion of
which is yet in the possession of his descendants.

His passion for hunting was strong to the last.
Every fall he would get restless, ahd nothing but a
hunt would quiet him. One of the last excursions to
the mountains, though far advanced in age, he was the

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HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY

347

only one that killed a deer. On his return he would
chaff his younger associates by telling all he met on
the way that the young men had taken him along to
kill their meat for them.

He retained remarkable bodily vigor to the age of
four score and over; and his mental faculties were un¬
impaired to the last. Not many days before his final
illness that closed his life, he felt it his duty to see the
county surveyor on important business—as he believed
it to be—and should be attended to without delay. He
went from his home on Locust Creek to Mr Baxter's
near Edray, about twenty miles distant, and returned
—a cold, raw day it was, too. He overtaxed his en¬
durance by the ride. He soon became sick, and peace¬
fully passed from his long and useful life.

In his life was exemplified the highest type of the
citizen—a pious, intelligent cultivator of the soil—the
occupation for which the Creator saw fit in his wisdom
to create the first man. It is the occupation now that
feeds the world, and whatever hinders, depresses, or
retards the farmers prosperity, threatens the worst
evils that can befall our humanity.

DAVID JAMES.

David James, Senior, was one of the first settlers of
the Droop neighborhood, in Lower Pocahontas. He
was from Norfolk, Virginia. It is believed he came
here soon after the Revolution, and located for awhile
near the head of Trump Run, on property now owned
by Richard Callison. He then lived some years at the

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